Device for handling seed-cotton to be ginned



(No Model-Y A. P. JAMES.

Device for Handling Seed Cotton to be Ginnefl.

No. 240,722. Patented April, 26,1881.

Fig.1. Fi .2. B

" wi bnesses." I j j fl-fl MW V Mitfireflr QQZJQTHES,

-N.FE!ERS. PIfQTQEEITHOGRAPHER, WASHINGTON. D. C.

. face.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIcE.

ANDREW P. JAMES, OF SHERMAN, TEXAS.

DEVICE FOR HANDLING SEED-COTTON TO BE GINNED.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 240,722, dated April26, 1881. Application filed March 1, 1881. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ANDREW P. JAMES, acitizen of the United States, residing at Sherman, in the county ofGrayson and Stateof Texas, have invented new and useful Devices forHandling Seed-Cotton to be Ginned, of which the following is aspecification.-

My invention relates to improvements in devices for handling seed-cottonto beginned, in which a track is laid and box-cars suitable for storingcotton employed in place of bins in the gin-house, as heretofore; andthe objects of my invention are, first, to provide a convenient methodof handling the cotton; second, to afford facilities for the safestoring of the same at a distance from the engine and gin-building; and,third, to reduce the cost of the gin-building and danger of fire bystoring the cotton in cars along the track at a distance from theginhouse. I attain these objects by the devices illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a vertical end elevation ofthe ginbuilding, showing a side view of the track; Fig. 2, a side viewof the building, showing end' view of tramway; Fig.3, a section on thelinear m, Fig. 1, showing the second floor of the building; and Fig. 4,a section through the line 1 2, Fig. 1, showing first floor of thebuilding.

Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

The sills A, posts B, and cross-timbers O constitute the frame-work ofthe building, which should be set at the side of a bank, bringing thesecond floor D level with the sur- Upon this floor, and extending backabout one hundred yards along the bank, I lay a double tramway, E, ofwood, and provide a simple switch, F, at each end, for transferrin g thecars from one track to the other.

G represents the style of car I deem preferable for storing the cotton,and as many may be employed as the business requires. They should be tenfeet long, three feet eight inches wide at bottom, four feet eightinches wide at top, and the sides three feet high. The roof should haveone foot pitch from center of car each way, and made tight to shed rain.One side of roof is nailed down, the other hinged toit at center,forming a lid, which maybe emptied, is taken out and the cotton removedthrough it and placed in the gin. Each car should be provided with alock, and have its weight and number marked upon it in a conspicuousplace.

The switch-rails F of tramway rest upon platform-scales J, which shouldbe placed opposite gin-stand H. With this arrangement a whole car ofcotton, when run in to be ginned, may be weighed at once, instead of bybaskets, as heretofore. When a car is unloaded it is switched off on theside track and run back out of the building to be tilled again.

K represents an open-top car constructed so as to dump on either side.This car runs upon a single straight track, L, passing directly underthe gill on lower floor of building. The seed, as it falls from the gin,drops into this car, which should be emptied at one of the numberedposts M, stationed at convenient distances apart outside of thebuilding, as often as anyone customers cotton is ginned.

1 am aware that prior to my invention cars and tramways have beenconstructed similar to mine and employed for various purposes; but I amnot aware that they have been used in conjunction with a gin-building tofacilitate the handling of seed-cotton.

What I therefore claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-- 1. The combination, with a gin-house constructed as shown, of thedouble tramway E and cars G, provided with switch F, resting upon scalesJ, substantially as set forth,

2. The track L, seedcar K, and numbered posts M, in combination with agin-house, for the purposes herein specified.

ANDREW P. JAMES.

Witnesses Tnos. W. RANDOLPH, J. F. YOUNG.

